Editorial: What independence do you speak of? Roe v Wade overturned

I get that we’re gearing up for July, which is the month for Star Spangled Banners, fireworks and the annual parade and festivities reminding us Americans of freedom and independence.

But, sorrynotsorry, as a female in the United States of America, I can only ask one question: What independence do you speak of?

Today, merely 10 days before our country set out to celebrate its Independence Day, our Supreme Court overturned constitutional protections for abortion, upending a nearly 50-year-old decision that empowered women to make decisions about their own bodies. The outcome, according to the Associated Press, is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half of the states in our country.

“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” wrote Justice Alito. “The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision.”

Alito’s decision was backed by Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanauch and Amy Coney Barrett; three of whom were appointed by Donald Trump when he served as President of the United States.

Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan were in dissent.

“With sorrow -- for this Court, but more, for the many millions of American women who have today lost a fundamental constitutional protection -- we dissent,” they wrote.

While our founding fathers did not debate about abortion more than 200 years ago, they did debate about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Women deserve the liberty, the freedom to be able to seek out the healthcare they require to live healthy, happy and full lives. Having access to safe abortion options is part of that medical care. In fact, the World Health Organization recognizes comprehensive abortion as an essential healthcare service. When carried out using the method recommended by WHO, abortion is a safe healthcare intervention.

“However, when people with unintended pregnancies face barriers to attaining affordable, geographically reachable, respectful and non-discriminatory abortions, they resort to unsafe abortions.” Global abortions estimate that during 2010-2014, 45% of abortions were unsafe and that one-third of those were performed under the least safe methods; by an untrained individual using dangerous and invasive methods.

WHO warns: Inaccessibility of quality abortion care risks violating a range of human rights of women and girls, including the right to life; the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; the right to benefit from scientific progress and its realization; the right to decide freely and responsibly on the number, spacing and timing of children; and the right to be free from torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment.

Welcome to America. For women, it isn’t the land of the free but it will damn sure be the home of the brave. It is now the land where we stock up on Plan B from Amazon and create secret abortion safe havens because lawmakers don’t care about our bodies, our health or our future. How do I explain this to my two girls, ages 5 and 8? How do I tell them their brains, minds and bodies aren’t valued by the people who make the rules governing their future? How do I help them understand? How do I help them get mad? Take action? Scream at the top of their little lungs and take back independence?

Because that’s what it boils down to: We are reverting back to the country we longed to detach from in 1775. Donald Trump was King George III (my girls even saw the resemblance when we watched Hamilton): tyrannical, oppressive, controlling and so voraciously hungry for power it was and still is disturbing to watch. Why are we doing it? Why are we allowing our freedoms to be stripped away? Roe v. Wade is just the beginning -- and damn it to hell, it is a big beginning. It’s time to take back our independence and maybe, perhaps, we’ll have something to celebrate this Fourth of July.